Assembly of filter tips



1956v R. N. BOOTH ASSEMBLY OF FILTER TIPS Filed Nov. 21, 1955 Patented Nov. 6, 1956 ASSEMBLY on FILTER "rues Richard N. Booth, Cross Keys, Jamaica, British V1 est Indies Application November 21, 1955, Serial No. 548,178

Claims. (Cl. 20656) This invention relates to filter tips or wads for use in the hand-rolling of cigarets, whether such rolling be effected directly by the thumb and fingers or in a portable hand-operated machine.

These filter tips are usually composed of rod-like sections consisting of cotton wool or like absorbent material surrounded by a sheath of tissue paper; when required for use, a filter tip is inserted in one end of a cigaret paper which has been folded to trough shape, preparatory to rolling it around a core of tobacco.

The present invention has for its main objects to provide an assembly of these filter tips, in a compact and portable form, to avoid damage to the tips before use, and to facilitate their detachment singly from the assembly when required.

A specific object of the invention is to provide means for securing the individual filter tips in the assembly at two substantially opposite sides, the securing means at one side of the tip being stronger than the securing means at the opposite side, so that in the detachment of the tips they will be freed first from the less strong securing means and then removed from the assembly by breaking the connection at the stronger securing means.

Another object of the invention, as applied to filter tips from which the sheath is intended to be removed before the rolling of the cigaret and of which only the filtering material need be inserted in the trough-shaped paper which is to be rolled to form the cigaret, is to provide means whereby the sheath is torn open automatically so as to expose the filtering material as the tip is removed from the assembly.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear from the following description of various embodiments, given with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a filter tip or wad of the kind to which the invention relates;

Fig. 2 shows a plurality of filter tips secured to a flexible backing strip;

Fig. 3 shows, on a smaller scale, a flexible strip carrying the filter tips, the strip being wound to scroll or volute form and having a free outer extremity;

Fig. 4 shows, on a larger scale, the outer portion of the coiled strip with the free extremity drawn away, the outermost filter tip being thereby disconnected from the inner coil but still adhering to the inside face of the outer coil of the strip;

Figs. 5 and 6 are views similar to Fig. 4, showing modified arrangements;

Fig. 7 shows another modification, in which the outermost filter tip is disconnected from the outer coil but still adheres to the outside face of the inner coil of the strip.

Referring to Fig. l, the filter tip comprises absorbent material 10, such as cotton wool, sheathed with material such as tissue paper 11. Fig. 2 shows a plurality of these filter tips secured by adhesive such as gum at 12 to and across One side or face of a flexible backing strip 13; This strip 13 may be, for example, of paper or of textile material. Each filter tip is partly coated with adhesive such as gum over a limited area at 15, substantially op posite to the adhesive at 12.

The backing strip, 13 carrying filter tips is then coiled to scroll or volute form, as clearly illustrated in Fig.- 3, so that the filter tips are juxtaposed and held between the adjacent outer and inner coils of the strip, each filter tip being secured to the inner face of the outer coil by the adhesive applied at 12 and further secured by the adhesive at 15 to the outer face of the immediately adjacent inner coil of the strip.

The outer extremity of the strip 13 is left free to be seized by the user when a filter tip is required, the arrangement being such that as the outer extremity of the strip is pulled out or away from the scroll center, the sheath of the extremital or outermost filter tip is first detached from the inner coil, as seen in Fig. 4, and whilst still adhering to the inner face of the outer end of the strip 13 it is presented to the user for final detachment by tearing off or Otherwise.

The two adhesive connections at 12 and 15 respectively are such that the pull on the strip 13 which is being uncoiled is sufi'icient to break the weaker connection 15 between sheath 11 and the inner coil, without however, breaking the stronger connection between the sheath 11 land the inner face of the outer coil of the scroll. This may be effected by making the adhesive connection 12 as a broad one and the adhesive connection 15 as a narrow one, or as will be understood from Figs. 2 and 4 by making the connection 12 as a line of gum along the full length of the sheath 11 and the weaker conneetion 15 as a much shorter line, each line 12 or 15 being applied along a generatrix.

It will be noted that the scroll formation of Fig. 3 alters the usual circular section of the juxtaposed filtertips to one having flattened sides.

In the arrangement of Fig. 5, the adhesive is so applied, and in such quantities, to the opposite sides of each sheath 11 that as the extremity of the flexible backing strip 13 is pulled out or away, the sheath 11 remains attached to the inside of the outer coil but the sheath is torn away from the inner coil and also automatically torn open, as at 16, to expose the interior filling 10 of the filter-tip. The exposed filling without the sheath can then be removed and inserted into the trough of the cigaret paper which is being rolled.

This automatic tearing open of the sheath 11 to expose the cotton wool or other filling can be ensured by forming closely-spaced lines of perforations, as at 18 in Fig. 1, in the sheath 11 where it is to be secured by adhesive 15 to the outer face of the inner coil, so that as the extremity of the backing-strip 13 is pulled away from the scroll, the sheath 11 will remain adherent to the inner face of the backing strip 13 but, on the opposite side of the sheath that portion 19 of the tissue paper between the lines of perforations 18 will either be torn along the sheath or may even remain secured to the outer face of the inner coil, and thus automatically expose the filtering material through a gap at 16 in the sheath. This gap is formed by the bursting of the sheath 11 as the narrow portion 19 between the perforations 18 is torn away or remains adherent to the adjacent inner coil of the scroll. The filtering material may even bulge out through the said gap 16, this depending on its degree of compression, temperature and other conditions.

The advantage of being able to insert the cotton-wool or other filling into the trough of the cigaret paper without its former partly gummed sheath, will be obvious.

Moreover, owing to the springiness of the usual cotton wool or other filling material, said material when exposed is free to expand or to be expanded to'conform with the diameter or" a large cigaret which. is being rolled,for alternatively can be compressed by handto conform with a thin. cigaret which is being rolled. In this way, the hand-rolled cigaret can be kept of uniform diameter throughout its length.

Fig. 6 shows an arrangement in which the filter-tips are doubly sheathed, each having an inner sheath 11 of tissue paper or'the like'and an outer sheath 11a of tissue paper or othertearable material perforated with closely-spaced lines 18a defining a tearable portion 19a.

The object of this construction isto ensure the disconnection of the filter-tip from the inner coil, the automatic tearingopen of the outer. sheath 11a and the presenta tion to the user of a clean and unsoiled filter tip with inner sheath 11. V V

. In the arrangement indicated in Fig. 7, the stronger 'adhesive connections 12 (stronger than the opposite connections 15) are located between an inner coil of the scroll-shaped assembly-block'and the sheath 11, so that when theoutward pull takes place on or along the strip 13;"the less strong connection 15 of the outermost filter tip will yield, leavingjthe 'filter tip adhering at the strong- .er connection 12 to said innencoil from which it can be detached as and when, required.

I The scroll-like assembly-block of filter-tips fits comfortably intothe tobaccopouch or the pocket of the user and-being flat and compact occupies little space. over, ;it is notsubject to loss of shape or damage when so carried. It will be noted that the assembly of filtertips secured to the inner face of the flexible backing strip 13 and to the outer face of the next adjacent inner coil of the scroll-wound strip maintains the whole in the V coiled or yolute form.

What I claim is: ,7 1. An assembly of sheathed filter tips for use with V hand-rolled cigarets, each filter tip being strongly secured by adhesive to and across one side or face of a flexible baching strip which is wound into scroll form so that each filter tip is' held between an outer and an inner coil of said strip, said filter tips being also less strongly secured by adhesive to an adjacent coil of said strip but on the other face of said strip, sorthat by a pull on the free end of said strip, the outermost filter tip can be automatically freed from one connection whilst remain-- inig held by the other.

2. Anassernbly'of filter tips, according to claim 1, in

' which the adhesive is applied to opposite sides of the most filter tip isdisconnected from the immediately ad- 7 jacent inner coil of the strip and whilst still adhering to the :inside of the outer coil, the filter tip is offered to the user for final separation,

More- 4. An assembly of filter tips, accordingto' 1, V which the stronger adhesive connections are upon that face of the strip'which is towards the center of the assembly, the less strong adhesive connections'being'upon the other faceof. said strip. 7 V

S. An assemblyof filter tips, according to claim 1, in

which each filter tip sheath'is formed with closely-spaced lines of perforations arid adhesive is applied to'the.

sheath between said lines of perforations, for connection to the faceof the strip from which'the filter tip iseto be removed, so that the pull on the backing 'strip will'tear V the sheath at said perforations, leaving the filtering material automatically exposed within the torn sheath. 7 6; An assembly of filter tips, according to claim 1', "in which each filter tip is provided with inner and outer sheaths, the outer sheath being secured by adhesive be 7 tween adjacent coils of the backing strip wound into a scroll form, andsaid outer sheath being removable by tearing from around said inner sheath.

7. An assembly of filter tips according to claim 1 in which the connections of the filter tip sheaths to the" inner face, of the coiled strip are stronger than the con nections of said sheaths to the outer face of the :adjacent inner coils of said strip.

8. An assembly of filter tips according to claim 1; in which the connections ofthe filter tip sheaths totheinner" face of the coiled strip are less strong than the connec- 9. An assembly of sheathed filter tips for use with hand-rolled cigarets, comprising a flexible strip, a plurality of filter tips laid transversely of said strip, ad-

hesive means securing the sheaths of said filter tips to said strip, adhesive means applied to said sheaths at areas substantially opposite to said first mentioned securing means, and said strip with said filter tips'securedthereto' being wound to scroll form bringing it:into contact :with

said second-mentioned securing means applied to said sheaths. a

10. An assembly of sheathed filter tipsfor use with hand-rolled cigarets, comprising a flexible strip, a plurality of filter tips laid transversely upon one face of said strip, adhesive means securing the sheaths of said filter 7 tips to said face, adhesive means applied to'said sheaths at areas susbtantially opposite to said first-mentionedsecuring means, and said strip being wound to scroll form" bringing it into contact with said second-mentioned securing means applied to said sheaths, whereby eachof saidfil-f ter tips is secured by said adhesive means between adjacent coils of said strip.

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain s Mar. 3, 1921 

